Possible factory unlocked Apple iPhone 5 prices show up on Apple website

Even though Apple has yet to announce pricing for its factory unlocked Apple iPhone 5 models which are expected in stores later this year, a simple search inquiry for "unlocked iPhone 5" at the Apple.com website revealed a heading called "Apple Store Results" with images of the device and pricing. The pricing, starting at $639, matches the pricing for unlocked models that are sold in Canada.

The 16GB, 32GB and 64GB prices work out to $649, $749 and $849 respectively. While there is a chance that this is just a placeholder, Apple must have considered this a breach of some sorts since it has taken down the original images, replacing it with prices for unlocked Apple iPhone 4S and Apple iPhone 4 models. Once the Apple iPhone 5's global rollout is over, and the supply-demand equation is more in balance, Apple is expected to offer the factory unlocked variant of its latest smartphone in the United States.

While Apple currently doesn't sell an unlocked version of the Apple iPhone 5 in the states, the CDMA model sold by Verizon was found to work on the GSM networks of AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the AT&T model can be unlocked, and with an iTunes reset and a new nano-SIM card, can work over T-Mobile's pipeline where over 1 million unlocked iPhone units already run.

source: AppleInsider